


Bound To You

by geewizzle



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Falling In Love, Fluff, Future Fic, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rain, Romance, Trust, based on like 5 songs, based on the recent promo photos, but are u surprised future ed is a snack, committing to each other, ed facing his fears of oswald loving him, finally opening up to each other, os still loves ed after all these years, this is basically a melodrama like u probs will cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 10:05:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16700428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geewizzle/pseuds/geewizzle
Summary: “If I am to be a martyr for our romance, then so be it” Oswald whispered back, “if I have to risk getting hurt again so I can save us, then I will”.





	Bound To You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kikorangi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikorangi/gifts).



Silver smoke danced through the indigo beams and rose to the ceiling. The grey dust dispersed into nothingness as Oswald watched his cigarette smoke tickle the chandelier above him. He took another drag almost immediately, inhaling heavily and closing his eyes. Focusing entirely on the smoke’s calming effect. Oswald could almost envision the clouds swirling around his mind, distracting him from the now. 

The Penguin smiled, allowing the music from the jazz band to consume him. He could feel each beat vibrate on his skin and fill his insides with a certain warmth that he only rarely felt. He let out a fond laugh at the thought and continued to smoke the last of his cigarette before snuffing it out in his empty glass of whisky. 

He hadn’t felt this radiant in years, and though it terrified him, Oswald wasn’t afraid to admit why. 

He vowed to not be a coward again, long ago.  
He had felt this once before, years ago.  
He was in love. 

Oswald opened his eyes, exhaling with a breathy sigh and watched ritualistically as the smoke from the snuffed cigarette float to the ceiling. The hues of silver cascading between the beams of blue, reminded him of the tides of an ocean.

The Iceberg lounge was not quiet that night, not unsurprisingly as was a Friday. The jazz music managed to sufficiently muffle out the chatter and snickers of the club’s patrons, drowning out melodramatic voices to Oswald’s liking. The thumping beats overpowered the atmosphere, causing Oswald’s mind to fog. He welcomed this however, it allowed him to think silently without distraction. 

Oswald sat perched on his thrown at the end of the club, overlooking the partygoers as they drank and danced their lives away. Such young things, Oswald thought. With the rest of their lives ahead of them. He couldn’t help but see a younger version of himself in them, a naïve but promising young man who wanted the world at his fingertips. And after ten odd years, betrayals and heartbreak, countless bloodsheds and a turf war that ended in gunfire, he finally had it. 

The only thought that came to Oswald’s mind however as he reflected his success, was that he still longed for someone to share it with. 

“Ozzie”

The smooth but gravelly voice behind his ear caused Oswald to shiver. He closed his eyes as he soaked in the sound of his name leaving the lips of the man behind him, hiding in the darkness. Oswald hummed in acknowledgement, turning his head ever so slightly to the side to catch whatever glimpse he could of the other man from the position he was sitting in.  
He caught the sharp jaw and Cheshire smile behind the dim lights, as Edward quickly moved his way to stand opposite Oswald. 

Edward stood proudly before him, boastfully glamorous as always. Oswald followed his downward gaze, both men silently studying each other’s appearances like it were routine. His friend’s attire included an emerald silk three-piece suit with a daring violet tie and those silver boots that Oswald had complimented on more than one occasion.

As if on que, the taller man held out his white gloved hand as a chivalrous greeting gesture. Oswald looked at the open hand for a moment, before delicately taking it in his own. Both men said nothing as Edward helped himself onto the arm rest of Oswald’s throne, crossing his legs and taking the rest of Oswald’s drink, downing it in one swig.

The Penguin smiled at Riddler’s quick movements, the taller man never ceasing to impress him. Edward smiled back at him in turn, releasing Oswald’s hand. He noted the array of empty glasses and cigarette butts that littered the bar beside where his friend had been sitting.

“You’ve never truly been one for tidiness have you, Ozzie?” Ed teased, his smirk mischievous and debonair. 

Oswald flustered when he realised what Edward was motioning towards, trying to hide his embarrassment by rolling his eyes and chuckling back at the other man.

“You know me too well, old friend”. 

There was a fond peacefulness between the two men, a kind that was both familiar and welcoming. They had re-established their trust for one another long ago, soon after Edward found out that Oswald had saved his life and soon after he realised that he was forever indebted to the other man. Ed hated himself for how wrongly he had misjudged Oswald and for how maliciously he had betrayed him time and time again. Though the two men had developed a sturdy partnership, Edward refused to believe that he had paid his debt to Oswald. Despite how Oswald told him that he forgave him once he saw his ‘lifeless body lying on Strange’s bench’, Ed couldn’t help but feel that he owed Oswald so much more than what he could give. 

“It’s a busy one tonight” Ed noted, noticing how the dancefloor was becoming quite congested. “Mighty good for business, and a mighty good alibi for us”. 

Oswald laughed.

“Yes, you’re very right. The Bat will be quite disappointed when he realises that the shipment of drugs that’s coming in tonight won’t require us to attend to it”. 

Ed chuckled back at Oswald, grateful for how well the two men have worked together. With Edward’s intellect and Oswald’s monopoly, the pair were quite influential towards how crime and power was dispersed within Gotham City. 

“Let me get you another drink” Ed insisted, snapping his fingers to call the bartender over. 

“Oh no, I think I’ve had more than enough tonight, Ed” Oswald interjected, patting his hand on Ed’s shoulder, “thank you”. 

“Well, I for one am parched” Ed replied with a charm that was authentically Ed, “One grasshopper please”. 

Oswald rolled his eyes again, that damned drink. Though he couldn’t supress the heat that fell on his cheeks and rose within his chest each time the other man smiled down at him. He couldn’t help but feel like he was 32 again, running the city as mayor with Ed loyally by his side. Their dynamic was practically mirrored of the past. 

Only now, Oswald felt undeniably bound to the other man. He felt like they have been forever intertwined, their fates always finding themselves back to each other. 

Oswald looked back up at Ed and noticed how his eyes still held the same tone of warmth they did all those years ago. Though he may have obtained a few age lines over the years, Oswald couldn’t deny to himself that he found Ed impossibly more attractive. His hair laid choppily against his forehead, begging Oswald to run his hands through it, and the smirk that held Ed’s lips together as he investigated his drink was more than tempting. 

And though Oswald could not deny that his long-buried feelings for Ed had resurfaced, this time he was more than certain that his feelings were reciprocated.  
The man hadn’t particularly said anything to Oswald for him to come up with such a conclusion. 

But for a man of many words, it was the little things Ed did in silence that held the most meaning to Oswald. The soft touches and caring glances. 

He remembers one night in particular, a few weeks ago when they were both out on the streets after a night of rendezvousing in the club. He remembers Edward holding onto him, trying to protect him as the Batman, who the two had been trying their best to avoid at the time, made an unexpected appearance. He couldn’t help but find himself blushing at the memory of Edward intertwining his fingers with Oswald’s as the two villains hung captured by the Bat underneath a lamppost. 

Oswald was suddenly awoken from his dreamy reminiscence as he felt a gentle hand on the small of his back.

“Oswald?” 

He quickly blushed as he found Edward’s eyes heavy with concern and himself, embarrassed for a second time that night. 

“Oh, yes? I do apologise Ed I wasn’t listening” Oswald spoke truthfully, regretful that he may have made the other man feel like his words were unimportant. 

But Ed, understanding as always, simply shook his head with the same kind smile that he had been flashing Oswald since he entered the lounge.  
“It’s okay. I was just saying that I admire the waistcoat you’re wearing tonight. It looks new” 

Oswald felt like slapping himself in the face. Trust himself to zone out just as Ed was complimenting him.

“Oh, thank you!” Oswald sputtered out, looking anywhere else in the club but at Edward. He suddenly felt incredibly uneasy, like the air surrounding him was getting thinner the more breaths he took. 

With nervous hands, Oswald reached into his breast pocket to retrieve his lighter and another one of his cigarettes. He held the white stick to his lips and began to light it before Ed took the lighter from him. The other man flicked it, watching the orange flame burn the tobacco filled paper connected to Oswald’s lips. 

Oswald let out a thankful hum, before allowing smoke to exhale from his nose.

“A nasty habit you’ve picked up” Ed humoured, fascinated by how the smoke seemed to dance around the little space between them. 

Oswald nudged his arm in response, suppressing a grin.

“You smoke twice as much as I do!”

Ed laughed back, looking down at himself in mock shame, “I guess you’ve got me there”

The taller man then gently took the cigarette from Oswald’s lips and put it against his own, taking a long drag. Oswald watched him, feeling something that basked against intimate. He blew the cloudy smoke into Oswald’s face with a sly smile, well aware of how much Oswald disliked that.

Any other night Oswald would have thrown him a sarcastic remark, or playfully hit his arm in annoyance. But this night, the Penguin was acting completely inanimate. He could feel the sharp jabs of his conscience pressing into his back, begging Oswald to finally just let go of his worries and tell Edward how he felt. Instead he just silently watched Edward use up what was left of his tobacco and lost himself again in the way that Edward’s eyes were gazing into his own. 

“Ozzie” Ed spoke softly, trying again to catch Oswald’s faltering attention. 

When exactly had Ed begun calling him that? 

“Yes?” Oswald whispered back.

Ed couldn’t help but smirk, “You asked to meet me here tonight for a reason. I was just starting to wonder what exactly that reason may be”.

Oswald then snapped himself back into reality, feeling unmistakably more useless the longer he kept silent in Ed’s awaiting presence. 

“Oh, of course! Right!” He quickly stuttered, earning a quirked eyebrow from Ed. 

“I think, what I want to discuss requires a more, private setting” Oswald explained after clearing his throat. This, much to Oswald’s sanity, earned another quirked eyebrow from the taller man.

“Right, shall we go upstairs to the penthouse then?” Edward asked, a hint of anticipation now lacing his voice. 

Oswald nodded with a smile, trying his best to silently reassure Ed that there was nothing to worry for, even if he knew that he may be lying to his best friend. 

Edward stood back up from Oswald’s throne and took the smaller man’s hand in his, helping him off his seat. The two villains made their way up the stairs of the lounge towards the levels that were strictly closed off to patrons. The further they made their way upward, the brighter the moonlight became as it bathed its way through the crystal windows of the club. Oswald stood beside Edward as he unlocked the door of his penthouse, which was located at the very top of the lounge and overlooked the city. Edward once told him that he would pay millions to have such a view. 

Once the two men entered, Oswald removed his monocle and placed it back in its case before telling Ed to make himself at home. In which he always did by heading towards the daybed by the balcony and lying flush on top of it. Oswald smiled charmingly at the other man’s childishness before heading towards the kitchen to make them both tea. 

“Do you ever think of selling the mansion and just living up here?” Oswald heard Ed say from across the room.

“I mean you practically live in your office anyway and this house is a dream” he continued, “Why not just stay here where everything is?”.

Oswald sighed, continuing to fetch the china tea cups as he replied, “I could never sell my father’s estate, you know that”. 

The other man was silent for a moment, before apologising “I’m sorry Oswald, I wasn’t implying that you’d-”

“It’s alright, Ed” Oswald insisted before he could finish, coming out of the kitchen with a tea tray in hand. 

Edward sat upright as he noticed the other man’s presence, and delicately took the tea cup from him. The two friends drank their tea as they looked out onto the balcony, over the beauty of the city in nightfall. 

Oswald reached over and lit a few candles on the chrome table beside the daybed, giving the space a warm and inviting glow. White wax was oozing down the sticks and crusting on top of the glass from where the candles had been lit many nights before, nights where Oswald would just lay by the balcony and allow the melody of the city to slowly lull him to sleep. 

He followed Ed’s eyes and found himself admiring the way Ed saw the city lights like stars, sparkling brightly in the night. 

“Beautiful” Ed whispered, barely audible as he was completely entranced. 

“It is” Oswald spoke, still looking at Edward’s face. 

Edward then turned so he was facing Oswald, putting his empty cup on the table.

“So, what did you want to tell me?”

Oswald’s eyes widened, Ed’s words softly grounding him back to reality. He then placed his cup besides Ed’s and shifted closer towards him.  
Ed kept his gaze attentively on the man before him, bracing himself for the words that were to fall from his friend’s lips.

Oswald sighed and looked down at his hands, noticing how the candlelight made them golden against the pale blue of the moonlight shining from outside. He already craved the taste of another cigarette. 

“I’ve been here once before, fighting with myself, trying to muster up the right words” Oswald suddenly spoke, his voice small as his vision remained apart from the man in front of him. 

He found a bitter irony in this. His heart and his head had always mocked Oswald’s love as if it were a vaudevillian show, a grand spectacle for an audience of one. Had he not been in this exact position years ago? A young man mustering up all the courage that he had in his small body to confess one thing that could potentially destroy him? Had anything ever really changed?  
Oswald didn’t hear Edward interrupt him, so he continued. 

“I know that I don’t often vocalise how much I appreciate you Ed, and how grateful I am to have you back into my life. It’s not something that I’ve ever been very good at”

“It’s okay” he hears Ed whisper, feeling the warmth of his breath on his forehead. Oswald closes his eyes once more.

“You’ve been nothing but lovely to me” Oswald spoke, truly confident in his words as he slowly lifted his head so he was looking back at the man before him. He could feel the chills inside his mind slowly dissipate as he found the warmth of Ed’s eyes, reassuring and homely.

Oswald finds himself smiling up at him, allowing himself to trust the spark that danced between them both with his confession. His breath shifted at the sudden soft touch of a hand holding his cheek. Ed cordially smiled back, and to Oswald, it felt like home. 

“And you deserve to know, that I have fallen in love with you”.

Edward’s face quickly distorts into a look of horror. He gets up from the daybed and paces the room, pulling at his hair, completely ignoring how he had obliterated the other man’s heart for a second time. 

“No, no, no, NO!”

Oswald feels the walls crumble and fall, pushing down onto his limbs and crushing his chest as he remains stunned. 

He could barely believe the other man’s reaction. Oswald was so sure this time that he was right, that he was finally at a place with Edward where they both saw eye to eye, heart to heart. They were soulmates, how could Ed of all people who believed in fate not see that?

Oswald wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. He felt like he was in a nightmare, a Shakespearian tragedy. He didn’t dare look at the other man as tears began falling from his eyes, and he soon broke down. Oswald felt as if he was being held underwater as he heaved for air, his lungs suffocating the more his mind panicked. He didn’t care that he was now broken and vulnerable in front of Ed, a prime display of a man who had finally lost every beating part of himself. 

He could still feel his love for the other man radiate off his fingertips, beating in his shattered heart. 

That’s what was keeping him from not lashing out at Ed and that’s what was tearing him apart. He knew it was all too good to be true. 

Oswald shuddered as claps of thunder rattled the penthouse walls with patters of rain soon falling onto the balcony pavement outside. His head remained low as he heard the balcony door slam closed, and he turned his head to find Edward outside getting himself drenched. 

He studied the man he loved through blurry eyes, focusing on any miniscule sign, of anything that Ed could give him. Anything he could tell him through his soft actions. Anything that told him it was going to be okay. 

He watched Ed look up at the sky, his face illuminated in moonlight with rain droplets sparkling against his skin. Oswald knew that he was crying also.  
Achingly, Oswald got up off the daybed and made his way to the balcony door. He creaked it open, banishing the tears from his eyes as he did so.  
“Ed?” he called out, his voice hoarse and sore from crying. 

Ed slowly turned and looked back at Oswald, releasing a breathy sigh as the rain continued to flood around him.  
Noticing that Edward wasn’t going to move, Oswald limped out into the rain and moved towards him.

Trying not to look directly at Ed, Oswald silently took his bicep and began motioning back towards the door. Ed followed his movements, much to Oswald’s relief and both men were soon back inside and shivering. 

Ed seemed to have snapped out of his comatose state once Oswald set him back down on the daybed and handed him a fresh cup of tea. The rain continued to fall heavier as each minute passed, the moonlight shining through the droplets like diamonds. He delicately took Ed’s raindrop stained glasses from his face, folding them neatly on the table. Oswald then fetched two blankets from the dresser in his bedroom and cautiously wrapped one around Ed before wrapping one around himself. Oswald sat beside him, his fear of Ed now undermined by his concern for him. He gingerly used his finger to turn the man’s face so he was looking at him. Oswald could feel the liquid fall onto his cheeks again, but he decided against fighting it. 

“Oswald” Ed breathed out, his sad eyes softening into the familiar warmth that Oswald knew so well. 

Oswald wasn’t going to interrupt him, nor urge him to continue. Edward also had something to say and Oswald knew how important it was for him to feel heard. 

“All I’ve done is bring you heartache. I can’t keep letting myself hurt you”. 

Oswald’s face fell at how incredibly wrong he was. Ed was still in doubt, he still felt that he owed Oswald something. He began to shake his head in defiance before Ed stopped him. 

“Love will only destroy us both” Ed said bluntly, “You cannot lie to yourself by thinking that we could ever be together without heartaches, without threats and destruction constantly coming our way” 

Oswald couldn’t help but shake his head, he refused to believe it. 

“You don’t know that!” he affirmed, softly gripping Ed’s shoulders. 

“We are stronger united then we’ll ever be apart. We build each other up and keep each other protected” Oswald stated, moving one of his hands to cup Ed’s jaw. 

He had to convince Ed that they could make a romance work. He had to break down the remaining walls that he held up, even around Ed and be wholeheartedly honest with him. What else left did he have to lose? 

“You cannot sit there like a coward and tell me you don’t care for me! You have no right when you’ve protected me and saved me countless times from botched deals and Bat encounters and what have it! I know you, Ed. I know that you’ve never been this kind and loving to anyone else. I know that I’m different” he pleaded, urging Edward to listen. 

“I never said I don’t care for you, Oswald” Ed quickly confirmed before he let Oswald continue.

Oswald’s eyes fell, “But you won’t let yourself say that you love me”. 

Ed remained silent.

Oswald looked back up at him, finding his hair covering his eyes as he hung his head low. He softly brushed the wet strands away, dusting his finger along Ed’s cheek as he did so. 

“All I’ve ever done is hurt you, over and over again” Ed whispered. “I don’t deserve your affections, Oswald. I never have. Not now, and not then.”. 

Oswald closed his eyes, letting tears cascade down onto his chest. Ed’s jaded words reminded him of a time a few years ago where Ed almost walked out on him. They were orchestrating a heist in Gotham National Bank from Oswald’s office. Ed dangled his legs from Oswald’s desk, sharing a martini with him as the two men pondered the blue prints of the bank’s infustructure. Oswald was made aware of how risky this job was, as the bank now had an artillery of snipers surrounding the building since Joker committed one of the largest heists in Gotham’s history only weeks prior. He figured Ed also knew the dangers, and how there was a possibility that one or neither of them may not make it out alive. But he couldn’t let himself back out, Ed had become so excited for this job, jittering on about how difficult this labyrinth of a heist would be and that he couldn’t wait to get his hands on solving it. 

Nevertheless, Oswald was never not cautious when it came to such convoluted crimes, and he knew that if either of them were to get shot down, it would be him. So, he tenderly handed the other man a key to both the lounge and his mansion, making sure Ed knew that should anything happen to Oswald, he held all of his trust in him to look after his empire and run things without him. 

Edward immediately refused, telling Oswald that he would make sure there was no risk of either one of them getting hurt. But Oswald took Ed’s hands and folded them over the keys, urging Ed to understand that it was okay to not know what may happen, that life was about taking risks. 

Oswald noted the fear in Ed’s eyes, how the mere thought of possibly losing Oswald terrified him.  
But he took the keys anyway. 

Oswald brought his forehead against Edward’s shoulder and inhaled deeply. He understood that Ed was just as afraid of losing Oswald as he was back then. Oswald found the price of love long ago and almost lost his mind because of it. Now he vowed that for Edward, he would do it all again and not think twice. 

“If I am to be a martyr for our romance, then so be it” Oswald whispered back, “if I have to risk getting hurt again so I can save us, then I will”. 

Edward then lifted his head up, finding Oswald’s face nestled against his. 

“You shouldn’t use me as your only chance at love, Oswald” he pleaded.  
“You deserve to have men worship you at your feet. To honour you in brass and gold”. 

Edward swallowed before he continued, “I failed to give you the love you deserve”. 

He then broke away from Oswald’s grasp, moving aside to grab a cigarette and a lighter from his pant pocket. With shaky hands, he quickly lit up the stick and inhaled what he could of the grey smoke. His throat was on fire, but he failed to care. Oswald took the cigarette from his fingers and took a drag himself. Even though it was a small gesture, he needed to show Edward how wrong he was, that his love could not be poisoned. 

“For a genius” Oswald began, “you can be incredibly ignorant, Eddie”

Edward looked down again in shame, and Oswald quickly lifted his head back up, shifting closer to him once more. 

“You’ve shown me what love is without even trying” Oswald whispered, smiling into the other man’s eyes.

He had longed after this man for so long, he felt the love within himself like an infinite war that held no surrender. Ed was the fire to his loins, the light that shined down on him, making him feel like he was the only man in the room that ever mattered. Never could Oswald ever dream that he would have someone in his life that made him feel this way, that he was even deserving of having Ed by his side. But as Edward shyly smiled back, Oswald believed that this was all that he would ever need. 

“And I don’t want to love anyone else” he assured, brushing Ed’s tears away. 

Edward tenderly held onto Oswald’s wrist, brushing his fingertips along the other man’s warm skin. 

“I love you so much” Ed finally admitted, his voice shaking as more tears continued to fall. 

Oswald softly laughed, brushing the rest of the other man’s tears away.  
“I know”

“And I’m terrified, Oswald” Ed continued, never once breaking eye contact with the other man. 

“I don’t want us to come this far just to fall”

Oswald held his face in his hands, shifting so they were now only centimetres away from each other.

“I trust you, Ed”, he whispered, “I only want you, and all of the risks that may come with loving you. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my whole life”.

Ed then brought their lips together, tender and longing. It was only a soft peck, but it was all that each other needed. 

“I only want you too,” he breathed, as their lips broke away. 

And suddenly, the rain stopped.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
> It's a bit of a rollarcoaster huh?
> 
> This was based off the leaked pics of a future riddler and penguin and I tried to weave them into this fic, I'm sure you spotted them. It's also based off the comic 'Gotham Underground' where Oswald actually does give Ed a key to the Iceberg Lounge in case something should ever happen to him and Ed kinda doesnt know what to do. So yeah that shit is actually comic canon believe it or not.  
> If some of the sentences in this sound familiar, its been recycled from an old fic I wrote and kinda hated so I've since deleted it but I honestly like how I've incorporated them into this story so much more. 
> 
> Anyway, I've been wanting to write something really melodrama inspired like this for a while, and the promo pics gave me the spark of inspiration that I needed! I hope that whatever happens in season 5, you can see this story as somewhat realistic of what could happen in the future for Ed and Oswald :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
